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Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul – a Glimpse

I’ve been waiting for years for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), whose recently announced candidacy for President of the United States is drawing astonishingly large crowds.

Ask him why he’s running and he tells you. And when he does, he speaks with two qualities that too often are estranged from one another: keen intelligence and passionate conviction. His voice resonates with a timber from deep within his soul. He’s not your stereotypical politician. He doesn’t answer questions by running in circles. He’s not afraid to offend potential supporters. He’s as bold as they come. What he’s bold about is common sense. The crowds in Minnesota and Iowa are coming out to meet him because they hear the voice of a truth-teller. No matter that Bernie speaks with a Brooklyn accent.

No other candidate for President during my lifetime has been as clear or concise as Bernie Sanders. Here’s a sample of Bernie engaging Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) on senior hunger back in 2011 before Bernie and Rand threw their names in the hat.

No one knows how far Bernie will go in his bid for the Presidency. But suddenly the mainstream media within the Washington Beltway and the New York Times the sneered at him a week ago are beginning to sense they’d better pay attention.

For me it’s not so much a matter of trust. I think her time may have come and gone. And, as Martin O’Malley said, it’s time we stopped treating the presidency as a crown to be passed between two royal families. If it comes to which royal family to crown, I think there’s little choice, but, in the meantime, I’m cheering for Bernie.

Hurrah for Bernie! I worry that we need him in the Senate. I wish there were two of him, one for the Senate, the other for the presidency. Also, I’m afraid that too many of the voters would be frightened off by the word socialist. Too bad — one who believes in a good and caring society has become a fearsome threat in the minds of many people.

Carolyn, I knew we’d be on the same page with Bernie. I’m not known as an optimist (except when it comes to opening day of the baseball season J). But I have a feeling that old bugaboo word, if addressed directly and non-defensively, may shift as quickly as the view on marriage, as Bernie forthrightly defines what he means by “socialism”. It’s the public discussion that’s been on hold too long in the USA. Unless and until a candidate refuses to cower before the charge of being pink, the political and religious right in this country will continue to lob it like a hand grenade at progressive candidates – and win. Who better than Bernie to do that? Who ELSE but Bernie can do that!!! Defuse the linguistic bomb and we may have a real discussion in America.